Molly Lyons Bar-David

Molly Lyons Bar-David (pen name, M.X.L.; née, Lyons; Hebrew: מולי ליונס בר-דוד, 1910-1987) was a Canadian-born Israeli journalist and cookbook author, who served as culinary advisor to El-Al Airlines.[1] Her Folklore Cook Book (1964; international title, The Israeli Cook Book), containing 750 recipes, was the first cookbook to include recipes from multiple Israeli ethnic groups as well as the Jewish diaspora.[2]

Early life

Molly Lyons (nickname, "Malka") was born in Saskatchewan, on July 3, 1910.[3] Her parents emigrated to Canada from Russia.[4]

Career

Bar-David was a food columnist for the Jerusalem Post,[5][6] and for more than twenty years, she wrote the "Diary of an Israeli Housewife" column for Hadassah Magazine.[7] She wrote for many Canadian newspapers including Junior Hadassah, Palestine Illustrator News,Saskatchewan Jewish Post, The Jewish Advocate, Tisdale Recorder, and Woman’s Wear (Toronto).[3]

She published four non-fiction books, including Women in Israel (1952), with a preface by Naomi Ben-Asher,[8] and a memoir, My Promised Land (1953). She also published three cookbooks: Folklore Cook Book (1964),[2] whose international title was, The Israeli Cookbook (1968).[3]; and Jewish Cooking for Pleasure (1965).

Personal life and death

In 1936, she migrated to Palestine.[9]

In 1939, she married Jaap Bar-David,[9] a literary agent.[3]

Molly Lyons Bar-David died on October 21, 1987; interment was in Savyon, Israel.[3]

Selected works

Cookbooks

  • The Folkloric Cookbook, 1964 (National Library of Israel, 990018517530205171)
  • Jewish Cooking for Pleasure, 1965 ISBN 9780600021049
  • The Israeli Cook Book: What's Cooking In Israel's Melting Pot, 1964 ASIN B0045KA61O

Non-fiction

References

  1. ^ "Molly Lyons Bar-David". In the Vintage Kitchen: Where History Comes To Eat. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  2. ^ a b Kav-El, Yonit Naftali (8 September 2025). "Cook The Book - Molly Lyons Bar-David's "Folklore Cook Book"". Foodish. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Molly Lyons Bar-David Collection Collection Identifier: P-1057". archives.cjh.org. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  4. ^ "Diary of a Jerusalem Housewife". The Montgomery Advertiser. 22 November 1953. p. 30. Retrieved 9 February 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Kaplan, Sybil (3 June 2023). "Becoming a Jerusalem-based food writer - The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  6. ^ Ickeringill, Nan (18 April 1964). "Cookbook on Review: Israel's Borrowed Flavors". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  7. ^ Johnstone, Ruby (6 June 2023). "Playing with Food: The Molly Lyons Bar-David Collection". American Jewish Historical Society. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  8. ^ "Women in Israel". National Library of Israel. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  9. ^ a b Yezierska, Anzia (29 November 1953). "Where the Unwanted Were Wanted; MY PROMISED LAND. By Molly Lyons Bar-David. 307 pp. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. $4". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
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